Long time...

So, how easy is it to drop a habit? Relatively simple! I had been regularly posting and writing up a daily devo for our student ministry, but have since dropped both. Why? I can blame time, with the master's classes causing me to have way too many late nights and not enough sleep. Or I could go with my family and work, both demanding time and effort that I cannot spend elsewhere. The idea of either excuse being written down seems to me to be rather distasteful! But, even with those being true in part, the real answer is priorities. I spend my time fighting for things that are "more urgent" and allow other things to slide into the background...

Should this have slid into the background? Probably not! It gives me a place to vent, to put thoughts into cohesive form, and tell people about what matters most to me. So, I realized it was time to get things rolling again and put my thoughts out there for the world to see...

With that in mind, I've been jamming the newest Enter the Worship Circle album (Fourth Circle) and got this song stuck in my head. The line that really catches me is "There's none too poor, too dirty, too broken, too naked, too stupid, too drunken to be thrown outside Your love." It is something very profound and very simple, yet so overlooked. We often see things as the haves and the have nots. I think Todd Agnew hits the same chord with his Jesus not being wanted in the church because He stained the carpet and was smelly. Jesus came for the outcast, those who are unacceptable. As His church do we accept those unacceptable? Or are there people who are too poor, too dirty, too broken, too naked, too stupid, too drunken or too anything for us to love them the way Jesus would?

If we are the church, how can we not love like Jesus? So, who do you need to accept and love today?

----------------
Now playing: Enter the Worship Circle - Give Me Your Hand
via FoxyTunes

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beyond the Pale (Part 1)

Most of the time we can clearly identify what is one side of a line and the other. If you watch any football game, the different colored jerseys easily identify which team someone plays for and the line of scrimmage clearly separates the offense from the defense.  When driving, it's essential we stay on our side of the dashed (or solid!) line to avoid maiming or killing ourselves and others. In politics, the letter we associate with clearly defines who we follow and who we shun. Throughout the ages, the Church has defined orthodoxy with a clear line parsing out what we believe and delineating things outside the pale of those beliefs. The growth in creeds is clear from the Apostle's to the Nicene in the simple opening phrases: I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord...     becomes We believe in in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lo
Read more

He Will Be Called: Mighty God (Part 1)

___________________________________________________________ "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:          Wonderful Counselor                     Mighty God,                              Everlasting Father,                                     Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9.6 (NLT) ___________________________________________________________ As we started last week with Wonderful Counselor, we continue today with Mighty God. Now first, where do you hear the word, "might" (and not as in "I 'might' go to the movies" but as in strength or power)? If you're anything like me the answer comes from two places: church and when talking about the military! We hear things about "military might" and sing about how our God is "mighty to save" but what does it really mean? We don't actually know! When asked, most students stare at me and then som
Read more

He Will Be Called: Wonderful Counselor

___________________________________________________________ "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:        Wonderful Counselor                      Mighty God,                              Everlasting Father,                                          Prince of Peace ."  Isaiah 9.6 (NLT) ___________________________________________________________ This is the so familiar Advent refrain. But in its familiarity we forget what it really means! Think back to Moses or Jacob in their encounters with God: they made a singular request that related to the belief structure of the day. Both asked, "What is your name?" Perhaps because they wanted power over this God they were meeting, perhaps because they actually wanted to know; I'm not going to make that call. Regardless, God gave them a name: Y-W-H (I know, I'm not writing this as a Jew but still think it's better that way!)
Read more